The rest of the car ride was silent—dead silent. Not awkward, but a "we almost just died" kind of silence. Eventually, we made it back to town, and Bryson drove into a Walmart parking lot before turning off the car.
"Is everyone okay?" he asked, glancing at those seated behind him. A chorus of "yeahs" and "mhms" responded. "Do you guys want me to take you home?" Bryson asked, turning back to face the front.
"What time is it?" I asked, just realizing my phone was dead.
"11:04," Adrian replied, checking his phone.
"Let's go to that party. I'm hungry and I have no money for food," Kayla declared loudly.
"Is that okay?" Bryson scanned the car, looking for any objections to Kayla's idea. When no one protested, he turned the car back on, and we set off again.
After about ten minutes, we finally arrived at the party. It was on some farmland, and the house was huge—a three-story structure with a basement, a barn, a pool, and a pool house. The kid who lived there and his parents were known for their wealth and little else. His parents were always gone, leaving him to throw parties. I felt a bit sorry for him; he seemed to have no real friends, no one to support him when he needed it. He had everything but companionship.
After wandering around the barn for a bit, my friends started to split off, leaving me alone. Kayla was flirting with some guy, Mel was chatting with an old friend, Bryson and Luke were talking to a group of girls, and Adrian was playing on the kid's PS5 that was just lying around. I walked over to Adrian, who was seated on a couch facing a mounted TV.
"Having fun?" I asked, sitting next to him. He was engrossed in the new Spider-Man game that had just come out.
"Mhm," was the only response I could elicit.
"Well, this is boring," I thought to myself.
I decided to get up and head back to Bryson's car. When I arrived, Luke and a guy named Chris were hotboxing inside. I've never really liked Chris; he's always been an ass. Last year, rumors circulated that he had drugged a girl after smoking with her, so I've always kept my distance. Luke struggled to find the button to roll down the window, but he eventually managed it.
"Hi, Ennaa," Luke said, dragging out my name in a way that clearly indicated he was high.
"Hi, Luke," I replied, no longer interested in hiding in the car.
"What are you doing here?" Luke asked, his words slurred and difficult to understand.
"Nothing, just wanted to see what was happening," I said, making up an excuse.
"Bull crap! You missed us, be honest," Chris said, grinning like a weirdo. It was clear they were both very high and clueless about their surroundings.
"Do you know where you are?" I leaned into the driver's seat window to see what they were smoking.
"Woahhhh, personal space, buddy," Luke said, slowly pushing my head back out the window.
"Man, we're partying!" Chris shouted, raising a beer like he was toasting at a dinner table.
"We're partying!" Luke echoed, giggling. Just then, Bryson emerged from the front of the house.
"Oh Lord, they're faded," Bryson said, laughing as he opened the door to pull Luke out. "What did I tell you about smoking in my car?" Bryson asked sternly, holding Luke like a puppy by the scruff.
"I'm sowyyy," Luke replied in a baby voice. Bryson dropped him and moved to the other side to pull Chris out, dropping him next to Luke, who was lying on the ground and staring up at the stars.
"How much do you think they'll remember tomorrow?" Bryson asked, looking down at the two boys.
"Probably nothing," I said, laughing at their state.
"What were you doing over here?" Bryson asked as he walked over to the trunk of his car.
"I don't know, just wanted to see what was happening," I repeated, sticking to my excuse.
"Ohh, I see," he said, opening the trunk and pulling out a bag of fireworks.
"What are you doing?" I asked, watching him pull out the fireworks.
"I don't know, this party is boring, so we're gonna make it fun," Bryson smirked, closing the trunk as he walked back toward the barn.
This feels wrong, I thought to myself as I followed him. We walked to the back of the barn where the pool was, already crowded with people either chilling in the water, smoking, or dancing badly to the music.
Behind the pool was a large field, where a group of people looked like they were waiting for something. When we approached, they started to cheer as Bryson joined them.
"Yoo bro, you gonna let me light one?" a random blond kid asked.
"Fuck no, you're drunk as fuck," Bryson laughed. as we walked further into the field.
Finally, Bryson found a spot in the field where he started setting up all the fireworks. Being the show-off he is, he, of course, picked the biggest ones he had in the car. More and more people began to gather, forming a circle around Bryson and the fireworks. Eventually, all of my friends were there too.
"Light them up!" people started cheering as Bryson grabbed one of the fireworks, pulled his lighter from his pocket, and lit the fuse. The crowd backed up the second they heard the firework scream.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Cheers erupted as the sky filled with vibrant colors, making me forget it was even night.
"Do it again!" a random drunk yelled. Then others started chanting, "Do it!" And since Bryson wasn't one to back down, he lit another.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
He set off a few more, and just as the last one was lit, drunk Chris ran through the pile of fireworks, knocking two over.
"What the fuck!" I screamed as one of the fireworks exploded on the ground. People started yelling and panicking when they saw it hit the floor, but we all forgot there were still four more fireworks going off, each shooting in different directions.
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It felt like the entire world stopped for a moment, and then a giant orange flame erupted from the field. Everyone seemed frozen in shock, just like me, but as my senses came back, I snapped into action. I bolted into the field, frantically stomping on the fire. It felt like my heart was pounding louder than the flames crackling beneath me. Slowly, others joined in, stomping and patting at the fire. After what felt like the longest two minutes of my life, the fire was finally out, leaving behind nothing but a charred, blackened patch of ground.
People were still shouting in the background, but the world seemed muffled to me. I glanced over at Adrian, who was standing beside me, his face pale, eyes wide with terror. His voice was barely above a whisper when he said, "We need to leave." His eyes were bloodshot, filled with fear.
The second those words left his mouth, I grabbed his arm and sprinted toward Bryson's car. When we got there, Mel, Kayla, and Luke were already standing by the car, their faces filled with worry.
"Are you guys okay?" Kayla asked, rushing up to us, her hands frantically checking us over like a worried parent.
"Yeah, we're fine. Where's Bryson?" I asked, still panicking, my heart racing.
"We don't know! We thought he was with you!" Mel shouted, her voice rising with anxiety.
"Get in the car!" A familiar voice called out. We turned around to see Bryson sprinting toward us, glancing over his shoulder at the spot where the fireworks had exploded. His face was flushed, a mix of adrenaline and fear.
YOU ARE READING
Two lives.
Non-Fiction"𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥'𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪'𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶?" ༺𖦹 𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 a troubled girl gets sent away to a boarding school for the troubled youth. or, A troubled group of kids learn to become the family they never had. ⇝ He nudged me with...
